ashcroft



(No Model.) 2Shets-Sheet 1.

' E. H. ASHCROFT.

HOLLOW SUPPORT FOR STEAM BOILERS, No. 262,914 Patented Aug. 22, 1882! igi- WITNEEEES I NVENTUR (No Model.) O 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. E. H. ASHCROFT.

- HOLLOW SUPPORT FOR STEAM BOILERS. No. 262,914. Patented Aug. 22, 1882* MAW-M55555 Y INVENTEI UNITE-1) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD H. ASHCROFT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

H'O LLOW SUPPORT FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.262,914, dated August 22, 1882.

Application filed June 19, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. AsHonoFfm a citizen of the United States,residing in Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ot'Massachusetts, have invented certain new -anduseful Improvements in Hollow Supportsfor Steam- Boilers; and I do hereby declare that the folthe fire unaccompanied by Water contact, and

also means for suspending the boiler in its setting by hollow lugs, through which water circulates, said lugs being located at and extending across the end of the boiler, thus increasin g its heating area, forming a safe and effective support without danger of burning out or weakening from the heat. Should it happen that the circulation of the water in the hollow lugs or supports be sluggish, or that sediment should deposit in them, then circulation may he maintained between said lugs and the mudthe connecting-necks. G is the furnace, D the bridge-wall, and E the main flue, having bottom F. i

' In rear of the bridge-wall, and passing down through the bottom F, I locate a stand-pipe, Gr, communicating with the bottom of the boiler a little in rear of its center and below (No model.)

the earthy bottom. From this I extend two conduits, b I), .through the outside setting. These pipes are provided with the usual stopvalves 0 c, and are for the purpose of controlling the flow through said pipes or conduits I) b. The lower pipe, b, after entering the st-andpipe, extends up through it and connects by means of a T with a perforated m udpipe, 01 d, within the boiler, which extends to nearly each end of the saidboiler. This perforated .pipe rarely fails to keep the boiler clean when proper attention is given to it, although, broadly, I claim nothing new for it. The boiler is supplied with water through the pipe I), which may be connected to any of the approved feeding devices.

ltigidly fastened to the boiler-head of the upper cylinder are two transverse hollow logs or supports, H H, communicating with the water-space of the boiler. Instead of cutting out an entire piece from the boiler-head, I simply drill holes'in it. Thus the metal between the holes forms a support for the opening in the boiler-head, so that free water communication is established between the hollow supports without weakenin gin the least the boilerhead itself. Of course the hollow supports may be stay-bolted in the usual way.

If desired, circulation of water is maintained between the stand-pipe and the hollow support by means of a pipe (shown in dotted lines) extending from one to the other. The locality of this pipe is not important, so the circulation of water is maintained. These hollow supports are also useful in drawing off scum from the surface of the waterin the boiler, they being placed nearly about the water-line. The particular advantage, however, of the hollow supports is that the entire boiler is suspended by them instead of the side solid lugs heretofore used. Of course any unusual weight or sagging of the boiler in the middle will be provided against by the central stand-pipe, which may rest upon a solid foundation, if found desirable.

Heretofore the solid side lugs occupied a very large amount of heatingsurface, which was just so much lost, and consequently so much waste of fuel, so that in doing away with these side lugs I gain that much heatingsurface, and in addition thereto'the heating- IOO surface of the hollow supports, which occupy a spaceheretofore not utilized, as brick generally have been used for that purpose. In this instance I build an arch of brick. (See Fig. 2.) Resting upon this arch centrally, and extending into the boiler-setting each side of the boiler, I

locate an gle-iron plates, rigidly fastened to the boiler, or they may be fastened to the hollow supports, one being at each end, from which the boiler is suspended, so that it may be very readily seen the flame impinges upon the entire outer surface of the lower boiler.

Any modification of the contour of the supports maybe made to suit the fancy or the kind of boiler to be constructed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

All the various appliances may be usedsuch as gages, Ashcroft doors, grates, &c.as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, its mode of construction and operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Thecombination, with a steam-boiler such as described, ot'the end hollow supports rigidly fastened to the end heads of said boilers, and

adapted to communicate with the water of the boiler in such manner that a constant circulation of the water is maintained between the body of the boiler and the space formed by the hollow supports, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a steam-boiler provided with hollow end supports, of the stand-pipe central support, said central support being adapted to receive the feed-water, and to discharge therefrom the sedimentary deposits accumulating in said boiler, as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with a steam-boiler such as described, of the hollow end supports, the angle-iron, the end arches, and the central stand-pipe, all arranged to form a support for the boiler, and also being adapted for the circulation of the water therein in the manner set forth and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD H. ASHCROFT.

Witnesses:

F. W. LoUNsBURY, ELMER H. .MCINIOSH. 

